Yaseen Ali Ege trial: Some of mother's accounts 'are lies'

At least some of the accounts given by murder accused mother Sara Ege about her son's death are lies, a jury was told today.

At least some of the accounts given by murder accused mum Sara Ege about her son's death are lies, a jury was told today.

Dr Robert Reeves, a consultant foresnsic psychiatrist called by her defence team, agreed with Mura McGowan QC, counsel for Ege's husband Yousef Ali Ege that she had told four starkly contrasting stories about what happened to the tragic seven year old.

Primary school pupil Yaseen Ali Ege was found dead in a fire at his Pontcanna home in July 2010 but discovered to have died from injuries before the blaze started.

His mother denies murdering him and setting fire to his body to hide the evidence of beatings.

Her taxi driver husband pleads not guilty to failing to protect their child.

Prosecutors allege Yaseen was repeatedly beaten by Sara Ege, 33, in the weeks before his death which came about as the result of severe abdominal injuries. He has also suffered bone fractures.

At the end of the prosecution case today, defence counsel Peter Murphy QC called Dr Reeves as a first witness for the mother.

He told the court of indictations of a depressive illness and psychosis being suffered by her before and at the time her little boy died.

She reported hearing voices which told her she was worthless and then commanded her to beat Yaseen.

Dr Reeves agreed that he found difficulty, following his long expieience including working at Broadmoor, in accepting her claim of the command voice saying 'beat the child'.

"Originally she said the fire was an accident, then that she had beat her son for months, couldn't remember what finally happened but said she had set fire to his body and some months later said she had made it all up, she didn't beat him but had set fire to him. And I anticipate we will hear from her that she didn't set fire to the body at all.

"So four very different accounts?"

"Yes" Dr Reeves replied.

"So at least three of those are blatant lies?.

"Yes" the psychiatrist said again.

Sara Ege herself followed the doctor into the witness box and began by telling the jury of her upbringing in India where she went to a Roman Catholic school from the age of three, later gaining A plus grades in her exams and a first class honours degree in maths, statistics and computer studies at university.

She was two months into a masters degree in mathematics when her parents decided she should get married.

Her details were in a local marriage bureau for only a week before the Ege family replied and then called to visit that same day.

By the end of the week she was a wife.

"I spoke to my husband for the first time after the ceremony", she said.

"I was told by my parents he had a masters degree and was the manager of the Royal Mail.

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